Triple H
Paul Levesque known mainly by his Ring Name "Triple H" or "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" is a multi-Time World Heavyweight Champion; Helmsley's push resumed in 1997, when he won the 1997 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Mankind in the finals.2227 Later that year, Shawn Michaels, Helmsley, Chyna and Rick Rude formed D-Generation X (DX). This stable later became known for pushing the envelope, as Michaels and Helmsley made risqué promos—spawning the catchphrase "Suck It", using a "crotch chop" hand motion,28 and sarcastically deriding Bret Hart and Canada. By that point, Helmsley had fully dropped the "blueblood snob" gimmick, appearing in T-shirts and leather. During this period, his ring name was shortened to simply Triple H.22 Even after the DX versus Hart Foundation storyline ended, Helmsley continued to feud with the sole remaining member Owen Hart over the WWF European Championship. This ended in a match between the two at WrestleMania XIV, with the stipulation that Chyna had to be handcuffed to then-Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Helmsley won after Chyna threw powder into Slaughter's eyes, momentarily "blinding" him and allowing her to interfere in the match. After WrestleMania, Michaels was forced into temporary retirement due to a legitimate back injury sustained at the Royal Rumble,29 with Triple H taking over the leadership position in DX,22 claiming that his now-former associate had "dropped the ball". He introduced the returning X-Pac the night after WrestleMania and joined forces with the New Age Outlaws.2230 As 1998 went along, D-Generation X became more popular, turning the group from villians to fan favorites. It was also during this time that Triple H began a feud with the leader of the Nation of Domination and rising WWF villain, The Rock.11 This storyline rivalry eventually led to a feud over the Intercontinental Championship, which Triple H won in a ladder match at SummerSlam.11 He did not hold the title long, however, as he was sidelined with a legitimate knee injury.11 When The Rock won the WWF Championship at Survivor Series,31 the rivalry between the two continued, as DX fought The Corporation stable, of which The Rock was the main star. Triple H received a shot at the WWF Championship on the January 25, 1999 edition of Raw in an "I Quit" match against The Rock, but the match ended when Triple H was forced to quit or see his aide Chyna chokeslammed by Kane.11 This began a new angle for Triple H, as Chyna betrayed him by attacking him after the match and joining The Corporation.11 As part of the storyline, at WrestleMania XV, Triple H beat Kane with the aid of Chyna, who was thought to have rejoined DX.11 Later on in the night, he betrayed his long-time friend and fellow DX member X-Pac by helping Shane McMahon retain the European Championship and joined The Corporation.11 After Triple H's villain turn in early 1999, he moved away from his DX look, taping his fists for matches, sporting new and shorter wrestling trunks, and adopting a shorter hairstyle.11 Levesque's gimmick changed as he fought to earn a WWF title shot.11 After numerous failed attempts at winning the championship, Triple H and Mankind challenged WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin to a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam, which featured Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee. Mankind won the match by pinning Austin,32 but the following night on Raw, Triple H defeated Mankind to win his first WWF Championship.11 Triple H dropped the WWF Championship to Vince McMahon on the September 16, 1999 edition of SmackDown! before regaining it at Unforgiven in a Six-Pack Challenge that included Davey Boy Smith, Big Show, Kane, The Rock, and Mankind. He defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Mercy before dropping the title to Big Show at Survivor Series. Triple H then continued his feud with Vince McMahon by marrying his daughter, Stephanie McMahon. He then defeated McMahon at Armageddon. As a result of the feud, an angle with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon began which carried the WWF throughout the next seventeen months; together they were known as the "McMahon-Helmsley Faction".33 Wrestling Debut: March 1992 Born: July 27, 1969 in Nashua, New Hampshire Resides: Greenwich, Connecticut Accomplishments World Wrestling Entertainment... WWE World Heavyweight Champion (5 Times) WWE Champion (8 Times) WWE European Champion (2 Times) WWE Intercontinental Champion (5 Times) WWE Undisputed Champion (1 Time) 1997 King of the Ring Winner 2002 Royal Rumble Winner Independent Wrestling Federation... IWF Heavyweight Champion (1 Time) Pro Wrestling Illustrated... PWI Match of the Year 2000 (with Kurt Angle) PWI Feud of the Year 2004 (with Chris Benoit) PWI Match of the Year 2004 (with Shawn Michaels & Chris Benoit) PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2003-2005) PWI Wrestler of the Year (2008) Wrestling Observer Newsletter... Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Mick Foley Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Batista Most Overrated (2002–2004) Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2002, 2003) Worst Feud of the Year (2002) vs. Kane Worst Feud of the Year (2006) with Shawn Michaels vs. Vince and Shane McMahon Worst Worked Match of the Year (2003) vs. Scott Steiner at No Way Out Worst Worked Match of the Year (2008) vs. Vladimir Kozlov and Edge at Survivor Series Wrestler of the Year (2000) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)